Study suggests drinking coffee only in the morning may lower risk of cardiovascular disease
What if sipping a warm cup of coffee, which has become a daily habit for some, did more than just wake you up?
A new study, published in the European Heart Journal by members of Tulane University in the USA, has uncovered an intriguing connection between the timing of your daily cup of joe and its potential health benefits, such as lowering type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even premature death.
According to the research, compared with people who did not drink coffee, those who only drank coffee in the morning had a 16% lower risk of death and a 31% decreased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. However, there was "no reduction in risk for all-day coffee drinkers compared to non-coffee drinkers."
Additionally, the study suggests that morning coffee drinkers, whether moderate (two to three cups) or heavy (more than three cups), benefitted from lower risks. Light morning drinkers (one cup or less) also benefitted from a smaller decrease in risk.
This means those who drink coffee between 4 a.m. and noon can reap more health benefits than those who have a cup at other times of the day.
"This is the first study testing coffee drinking timing patterns and health outcomes. Our findings indicate that it's not just whether you drink coffee or how much you drink, but the time of day when you drink coffee that's important," lead researcher Dr. Lu Qi said in a news release,
"We don't typically give advice about timing in our dietary guidelines, but perhaps we should be thinking about this in the future," he added.
This observational study included 40,725 adults who had complete dietary data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 1999 to 2018. It also included 1,463 adults from the Women's and Men's Lifestyle Validation Study who had complete data on a seven-day dietary record.
Moreover, Dr. Qi clarified that the study doesn't show why drinking coffee in the morning reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
One possible reason he saw is that "consuming coffee in the afternoon or evening may disrupt circadian rhythms and levels of hormones such as melatonin. This, in turn, leads to changes in cardiovascular risk factors such as inflammation and blood pressure."
This was echoed by Michelle Routhenstein, a New York-based registered dietitian specializing in heart disease.
In an interview with Fox News, Routhenstein said that Drinking coffee in the morning aligns with one's circadian rhythm, the body's internal clock that regulates the wake or sleep schedule.
This means drinking coffee in the morning allows people "to be more focused during the day and allowing for restfulness at night."
On the other hand, Routhenstein said that drinking coffee later in the day can sometimes "signal a reliance on stimulants to stay focused and keep working, often at the expense of addressing hunger." Hence, it may lead to "inadequate nutrition," which can negatively affect heart health over time.
Routhenstein also furthered that chlorogenic acid in coffee primarily causes heart health benefits.
"It is a polyphenol found in coffee beans that has anti-inflammatory properties and may play a positive role in supporting blood vessel health and oxidative stress," she said.
However, Routhenstein emphasized to the media outlet that the study "did not discuss the specific types of coffee consumed or any added ingredients, like sugar and cream, which could counteract health benefits."
Nonetheless, the researcher indicated that further studies are needed to validate the findings in other populations, including clinical trials "to test the potential impact of changing the time of day when people drink coffee."
